Start with the crust – place crumbs in a bowl and create pour the melted butter into the center. Stir until well mixed then dump into cheesecake pan. Use your fingers to press the crust across the bottom of the pan and about an inch up the sides. You can use the underside of a cup or measuring cup to flatten the crust. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Next make the filling – cream the cream cheese and sugar until very soft and there are no cream cheese lumps. Add eggs and orange juice concentrate and mix. Melt the chocolate, but let it cool a minute before adding to the cheese and egg mixture. Mix well. Pour into slightly cooled crust and bake for 50 minutes.

*Note: ALWAYS place cheesecake pan directly on a cookie sheet or other flat pan (this is in case the cheesecake leaks the bottom of your oven won’t get all nasty). Also, ALWAYS place a 9×13 pan, 2/3 full of water on the rack directly below the cheesecake. This prevents the cheesecake from cooking too quickly or from drying out.

Once the cheesecake comes out, allow it to cool for ten minutes while you make the topping. Beat the sour cream, sugar, and orange juice concentrate together until well blended. Pour over the chocolate layer. Return cheesecake to oven (still on the cookie sheet and still with the pan of water on the bottom rack) and cook for 5 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE FROM OVEN, but turn oven off and leave cheesecake in the oven for 30 minutes with the oven door slightly open. (This allows the cheesecake to cool off slowly and helps prevent cracking.)

Remove cheesecake from oven and leave on the counter for 1-2 hours. Before wrapping and placing in the refrigerator, run a knife around the edge to separate it from the pan. Do not remove the sides of the pan, but as the cheesecake cools it will shrink slightly and if it is still stuck to the sides it could cause the center to crack. Wrap cheesecake and refrigerator OVER NIGHT – serious, this cheesecake is much better the second day, once the flavors have a change to meld together. (Although, I have made it and placed it in the freezer for 4-6 hours before serving. It wasn’t as good as waiting until the next day, but still very good!)

Although this cheesecake seems to have a lot of steps, it isn’t complicated or hard at all. And so worth every minute spend waiting for it to set up! So amazingly good! Let me know what you think.